On 11 December the EHF was once again present as the ONSIDE partners came together online for the final time to plan the final actions towards the completion of the project and confirm concrete plans for sustainability and legacy.
The ONSIDE project aims to research and define the concept of sport officiating in Europe, develop occupational standards to outline generic skills and performance requirements, and finally, create innovative education products for both face-to-face and online.
The meeting began with a review of work achieved, including a report on the results of the external evaluation of the project which gave a positive view of the project outputs and coordination.
The ONSIDE final conference was also reviewed and seen as a great success by partners. This “International Event on Sport Officiating” gathered 250 participants from 39 countries to learn about the ONSIDE project and advance the global sport officiating agenda.
The partners are looking forward to the publication of the final outputs of the project and are certain the outputs will be of great value to various stakeholders involved in sport officiating. The ONSIDE e-learning platform and modules were also discussed including the issue of access to the e-learning after the project has ended.
The partners then turned to the issue of sustainability. The International Federation for Sport officials (IFSO) is the legacy partner of ONSIDE and will be have a key role in promoting the products in the long term. A sustainability strategic action plan was discussed and agreed to ensure long term dissemination and impact of the ONSIDE project.
How the EHF plans the next steps
Based on the outputs and topics address during the ONSIDE project a plan and framework was developed for the internal EHF procedures in respect of the EHF official’s education and recruitment process.
The aim is to ensure the sustainability of the future education and development of handball referees and delegates within the EHF. Also on a national level, the EHF will inform and offer material to the National Federations and give them access to material for officials’ recruitment, education, and development to support them with clear instruction and templates to attract, develop and retain sport officials.
About the ONSIDE project
The ONSIDE project aims to research and define the concept of sport officiating in Europe, develop occupational standards to outline generic skills and performance requirements, and finally, create innovative education products for both face-to-face and online.
The ONSIDE project is co-funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Collaborative Partnerships in Sport programme.
All project partners: European Observatoire of Sport and Employment (EOSE), Sports Officials UK (SOUK), Association Française du Corps Arbitral Multisports (AFCAM), European Handball Federation (EHF), European Table Tennis Union (ETTU), European Athletics, SportMalta, Dutch Olympic Committee, Dutch Sports Federation (NOC*NSF), Romanian Football Federation (FRF), British Wheelchair Basketball, National Sports Academy Vassil Levski.
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European Handball Federation